This is part of the series,
“Prayers from John Bradford”.
Who was John Bradford?
"How Fair You Are!"—Adoration
“When the Roots of Our Lusts”—Confession
“What Shall I Say?”—Confession
“Open Our Eyes to See Our Great Need”—Illumination
“You Are Our Most True Pilot”—Illumination
“Who Has Revealed Yourself to Humanity”—Intercession
“You Use All Means Possible”—Intercession
“We Most Heartily Ask”—Intercession
“My Watcher and Keeper”—Intercession
"Whom our Savior Christ Approached”—Intercession
When the congregation of St. John’s Church in Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ontario, celebrated two hundred years of Presbyterian presence in their area, they returned to their roots and used prayers of the 16th C. English Reformer, John Bradford, in their worship. This is one of the prayers of confession.
When the roots of our lusts by your grace, dear Father,
are almost rotten
and rooted out by a daily denial of what they desire,
I humbly ask you,
for Christ’s sake,
to help me.
First, pardon me my cherishing and, as it were,
watering of my affections,
obeying them in their devices and superfluous desires
in that they have taken a deep root
and are too lively in me.
I secondly ask you
to pull those desires up by the roots out of my heart,
especially the principal root,
that the by-roots and branches
may lose all their power.
Grant me, I ask you,
that your grace may daily put to death
my longing after pleasant things,
that is, of wealth, riches, glory, liberty, favor to me,
fine foods, drinks, clothes, ease,
and indeed, life itself.
I further desire and pray, dear Father,
that you will add to this
that I may become obedient
and ready to do your good will in all things
and do what may please you.
For if your Son,
ever ready to obey your good will,
prayed so heartily and often, “Not my will but your will be done,”
declaring himself to be human,
how can it be but that we,
whose nature is corrupt, not only in our birth but in our whole life also,
will find both our hands full in great and grievous temptations,
and yet wholly resign ourselves to you?
Therefore, dear Father,
for Christ’s sake,
grant to me, a most miserable wretch,
your grace and Holy Spirit to be effectual in me.
Help me daily to deny my will
in the more easy and pleasant things of this life,
so that, when need shall be,
in Christ, I may come to you with a resigned will,
always steadfastly expecting your mercy,
and in the rough seasons
continually obeying you with readiness and willingness,
doing whatsoever may most please you
through Christ our Lord,
who lives with you.
—“A Meditation for the Exercise of True Mortification,” in The Writings of John Bradford, Cambridge University Press, 1843, pp. 190-191. Public Domain. Updated and abridged.
